Louisa Neil (11 page)

“You said I was the man of your dreams. I was curious about what that meant.”

“I’m sorry. I was just talking to myself. Down here, nobody notices.”

“How could anyone not notice you?”

“You’d be surprised,” she said then was instantly sorry she had. His hearty laugh made her cringe. “I mean, I’m used to being alone, so it’s easy to think some things over aloud without anyone taking notice.” That sounded worse, she decided. “And you are?”

“Sloan, of course.” He took a few steps forward, and her heart started to beat wildly. “Sloan Shayla, Dane’s partner in this new endeavor.” He reached his hand forward, and she knew hers shook when she reached to take his. She remembered to pull off her ink-stained glove before actually touching him. Her hand felt cold and clammy against the heat of his skin.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Shayla. Of course, by now you know I’m Diana Wilson. I’m preserving the archives for prosperity.”

“Are the issues worth it?” His face was serious, and her initial thought that his eyes would be black was realized.

“All history is worth preserving. What we consider insignificant today may change the way people think and act in coming generations.” She made a conscious effort to pull her hand from his.

“Are you that much of a historian or just looking to keep job security?”

“Actually, I was hired because of my computer abilities, but the longer I work here the more I appreciate the work and history of the town.”

She wanted him to back up, to give her space and air to breathe. She stayed sitting, knowing if she stood she’d still feel small next to him. The worst part was she wanted to feel him in all ways, especially inside her body. Her nipples hardened under her shirt, and she leaned forward, crossing her arms in front of her to cover the protrusions. Crossing her legs, she pressed her thighs together to stop the ache that had developed since he’d invaded her space. His space, she corrected, and he was the owner now. But not of me, she reminded herself. He continued to stare at her as if he was reading her thoughts.

“You have strong feelings for a city you have no personal history with.”

“I may not have been born and raised here, but since I decided to relocate permanently, I’ve developed loving feelings for the area. I’ve come to feel very protective of the city.”

“So you’re a post-Katrina transplant?”

“Yes. I decided to take my chances with an occasional hurricane or flood than live with the snow and ice.” She hesitated and added, “I hate being cold. I’ll take summer over winter.” Diana wasn’t sure why she was being so talkative with him. In reality, she wanted his attention, and that made her pull back the friendly banter she was trying to establish.

Sloan wandered down one of the aisles while she was talking, so she shut up and went back to her work. He did the same thing Dane had done, walking up and back each aisle, running his hand along the older wooden cabinets then the metal ones. Diana took deep breaths to control her mind and body. She was still squeezing her legs together, but the ache was worse.

Forcing herself to stop watching him, she continued to scan her pages. She glanced up when he came to the end of the aisle where her workspace was. He stood silently until she looked up. When she did, she realized she was sitting just at his crotch height. He was erect under his pants, long and thick, almost beyond what she could comprehend. She licked her lips to wet them at the idea of trying to suck such a large cock down her throat or having him stretch her body to fit.

“It was nice to meet you, Diana. I’m sure we’ll be spending a lot of time together in the near future.”

“I’m pretty much on my own down here. I took this job because of the surroundings.”

“Yes of course, the basement mouse.”

Diana narrowed her eyes and stared at him. “I’m not sure what you mean by that nickname or what you want. Do you have questions about my work?”

She got a quick visual of Dane and Sloan sharing a drink while Dane told him how she begged him to fuck her ass. She had to let it go. In the weeks since that episode, Dane had been very careful to avoid her, not coming into her work area while she was there. At first, she had thought it was him being gallant and taking her instructions to leave her alone. Now she realized, from the way Sloan was watching her, that they had something different in mind, something she’d never figure out until they were ready to tell her. Now she hoped she’d be one of the employees phased out, and she could leave both men behind.

“Well, it’s been interesting to meet you, Diana. I’m sure we’ll get along fine. We can talk more during our interview.”

“Interview?”

“Yes, of course. Dane has given me his impressions of the staff, and now that I’m here, I’ll make my own conclusions.”

“So when he told me my job was safe he lied?”

“No, probably not. But I reserve the right to interview all my new employees.”

“As long as it’s during work hours it’s your call.” She turned and moved the next page into place.

He laughed at her again, and she instantly disliked him more. “I’ll let you know when I schedule our interview.”

“Fine,” she said sharply, refusing to look at him again. She swapped out another sheet and waited for the machine to start its scan. When she heard him on the steps, she let out the breath she had been holding. She knew he’d reached the top but hadn’t left yet.

“Do you want the door open or closed?”

“Closed, please. The noise interferes with my concentration.”

“We wouldn’t want to break your concentration.” He took a step back and shut the door. Diana let her weight fall back in the chair and reached to her neck to rub the aching muscles. She didn’t realize she’d been holding herself so stiff. Glancing back to the top of the stairs, she wanted to make sure it was still closed.

“Maybe I should put a bell over it so I’ll not get caught talking to myself again.”

Even with him gone, he still seemed to fill the space. She realized their meeting had gone very similar to her first with Dane. That was where she had to stop the similarities. Sleeping with both her bosses was not an option, especially since Dane had apparently referred to her as the basement mouse to Sloan. Just how close were they, she wondered?

The rest of her day was filled with dread waiting for the door to open and one of the men approach her. She forced herself to try and forget the nightmares, especially since meeting Sloan, only she had to admit lately she didn’t consider them nightmares, only dreams. “Damn Sloan, too.” He resembled the creature her subconscious summoned. But how? She’d never met, seen, nor heard of either man when she had the first dream. None of it made sense to her, which was annoying on many levels. Too many, she decided to contemplate. In reality, she knew she would control her future. She just wasn’t sure if it was still on the same path as it had been a month back. Diana decided she couldn’t take back the days she fucked Dane and had to hope he was a gentleman and hadn’t told tales about her. But in reality, she knew Sloan probably knew every detail. That idea gave her a new thrill, one she hadn’t considered before. What would it be like to have both men at the same time? It was ridiculous, of course. She had enough trouble handling one man, let alone two, but the idea was planted.

“When did I become this sex-crazed woman, starved for cock?” She quickly glanced to the door to make sure she was alone. This was way too out of character for her. It was time to let the fantasies go and get on with her real life, where ever that led.

I’ll ignore them, she decided, just as I have since the last encounter. Besides, what I do on my off time is my business.

One bad decision because of a handsome man would not ruin her future here. This was her home now, and she wanted to keep this job to keep her home. She changed the page and pushed the buttons. As it scanned, she forced herself not to rub her pussy. It would be easy to drop her hand to her lap and just give herself a quick rub. Glancing down, she saw her ink-stained gloves and laughed for the first time that day. Against her chinos, the ink would have been a dead giveaway.

Diana changed the page and thought to go to the bathroom and soothe herself, figuring she’d get some peace from it, but she didn’t. Masturbating in her office bathroom didn’t seem the wisest choice on the new boss’s first day. She smiled again, wondering if she had touched herself and left ink marks if anyone would mention it.

* * * *

She ate lunch at her desk, continuing to scan page after page of the newspapers. She liked reading the everyday workings of the city and liked the connection it gave her. There was a sharp knock on her door just after two, and then it opened. There was an immediate din of noise from upstairs, tapping computer keys, phones ringing, but no conversations or laughing as she used to hear when Walter was in charge. Dane ducked his head in and waited until she gave him her attention.

“Sloan will see you at three in the office.”

Then he was gone, and the door was shut, the noise gone.

At ten to three, she went to her bathroom and washed up, brushing her hair out and braiding it again to tame it in a more professional look. She had a passing thought that she wished she’d used makeup today but then realized she never had in the past, and to start now would be noticed and something she would have to continue.

At the top of the stairs, she drew a breath and opened the door. All eyes were on her, and she smiled and nodded, not singling out any individual. The door to the office was closed, the blinds closed tight. She wished it had been open so she’d have some inkling of Sloan’s mood, but instead, as she raised her hand to knock, it was opened from inside. One of the older staff reporters took a step back to allow her to enter before he left. His eyes were wide, and he seemed stunned.

“Thanks,” she said, stepping to the side to let him out. He shut the door tightly behind him. It was just short of a slam, she decided. Sloan was standing with his back to the room, gazing out the window that overlooked the main street. “Are you ready for me?” she asked and realized how that sounded. “I mean, Dane told me you wanted to see me at three.”

“Yes,” he said without turning around. “Have a seat.” She wasn’t sure if not seeing his face was more unnerving than having to face him. “I was told you…educated the older employees on their computers when you came here two years ago.”

Diana edged to the empty chair before the desk and sat, planting her feet firmly on the floor and folding her hands in her lap. “They were computerized when I got here. I merely gave some of the staff tips on using their word processing programs.”

“Did you know a few of the reporters still handwrite their articles and only type them into the computer? That they don’t know how to navigate the Internet for research? Hell, I’m lucky some of them know how to check their voice mail.”

“My job is to preserve the archives. I do my job downstairs. I rarely come up to the staff offices unless I’m called. If Walter needed anything, he usually came downstairs. I don’t have a handle on the employees’ work habits.” There. If he thought she’d start telling tales about them, he was wrong. Keeping herself employed at the moment was her main task, not running to the new boss with tidbits of others’ habits.

“Relax, Diana. I just find it exasperating that all this equipment sits until the last minute when they could be getting so much more accomplished.”

“I’m sure you’ll handle that in your own way. What did you want to know about my job?” She tried to sound professional but ended up sounding curt.

“I know all about your job. I figured if I didn’t call you in for a few minutes it would look worse to the rest of the employees. Let them think I’m giving you the same speech. We’re in the new millennium, and we all have to adapt. All the basic crap every boss is supposed to use to spur his employees to work harder.”

“Fear isn’t a great motivator,” she said, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut.

“I agree, but right now it’s all I’ve got. Until I get to know each person a bit better, it will have to suffice.”

Diana wished he’d turn to face her, and on another level, was glad he seemed preoccupied by whatever he was watching on the street. “Are there any changes you’d like to make in my department?”

“Just one, but I’ll hold my thoughts until I get to know you better.” Sloan did turn and gave Diana a quick half smile. “Relax, I’m just joking. This place is so tense.” He shook his shoulders. “But we’ll get there one day.”

“Maybe if you gave me an idea of where you’d like this to go, it would be easier to get there.” She relaxed back in the chair, somewhat exasperated.

“Do you believe in fate?”

“I’m not sure. I suppose it would depend on the subject.”

“I’d like you to do one thing for me,” Sloan said, coming around the desk and resting his hip on the corner. “A quick answer, what do you think about fate?”

“I suppose I believe in a sort of karma, what you put out to the world will come back, in regard to being a good person.”

“Think about what you truly believe on the topic.”

“Why? What does that have to do with my job? Either I’m competent or not.”

“This goes beyond the job, Diana. Just think about it.”

“Is there anything else?” She was getting anxious. Hell, she’d been nervous when Dane told her about the interview and when she arrived. Now talking with Sloan made her uncomfortable.